After Li You's incident, Concubine Yinde turned to Buddhism and moved from Dajiakuan to the Xuanwu Hall adjacent to Huguotenwang Temple.
The furnishings in Xuanwu Hall are very simple, and there is a faint Sanskrit fragrance lingering in the corridors. Except for a few eunuchs guarding the gates outside, there were only three old nuns and Concubine Yinde living in Ruoda's palace.
When Qin Mubai saw Concubine Yin De, she was sitting cross-legged on a black mat with her hair tied up high into a simple ponytail. She was wearing a plain gray-white robe with a black collar. She was twisting Buddhist beads and knocking on wooden fish. , close your eyes and listen to Zen. An old nun, who was at least sixty years old, sat opposite her and chanted sutras softly.
Princess Gaoyang told Qin Mubai softly that that was her mother-in-law's master, Master Shanqing. She became a monk since childhood and has been practicing Buddhism for at least fifty years.
After the two of them entered, Shanqing stopped preaching Zen, opened his eyes and smiled, "My dear, I am destined to come."
Concubine Yin De looked back and saw Princess Gaoyang trotting towards her, her plain-faced eyebrows raised with a hint of kind joy; at the next glance, she saw Qin Mubai walking slowly, her eyebrows raised slightly, her expression A slight pause.
Qingshan took a look, then slowly closed his eyes and chanted: "Amitabha... All living beings are born in emptiness, their true mind has no beginning, and their original nature is pure."
Concubine Yin De actually looked panic-stricken. She hurriedly turned around, clasped her hands and bowed: "Master, after all, I can't cut off all the connections in this world... Why don't you ask the master to shave off the three thousand worries for your disciple, and formally accept me into Buddhism!"
Qingshan clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, smiled, shook his head, and said leisurely: "The true nature is like the Buddha, not an ordinary form. The troubles and dirt have no form in nature. How can the water wash away the matter and form the body?"
"Disciple, I am ashamed..." Concubine Yin De lowered her eyebrows and bowed respectfully, chanting softly, "Buddha said, when the mind arises from thoughts, separation and attachment will lead to emotional troubles and worries. If you use your sharp roots to be brave, your body and mind will be straight down, and you will cultivate to the point where you can't even think about it. Wherever it arises, it is its original appearance... I don’t understand, there are many thoughts of the Buddha, and the Buddha also has feelings, so why can’t even one thought arise?”
Qingshan smiled and said nothing.
Princess Gaoyang had already run up to her and slowed down her pace. She gently sat down next to Concubine Yin De and said confusedly: "Mother, what are you whispering to Master Qingshan? Why can't I understand a word?"
Concubine Yin De smiled slightly and reached out to stroke Princess Gaoyang's dark and smooth hair, "Ling'er, you are about to get married... time flies so fast!"
"Hehe!" Princess Gao Yang smiled innocently, "Mom, I specially called Mu Bai here today to have a vegetarian meal with you!"
"Really?" Concubine Yin De smiled faintly, and a man's figure with a stretched candlelight was reflected in front of her. She heard Qin Mubai say behind her: "I have met your empress, Qin Mubai, a humble minister."
"There are all common people here, only Master Qingshan is respected." Concubine Yin De did not return the greeting or look back, she just said softly.
Qin Mubai smiled slightly, put his hands together and bowed to Qingshan and saluted: "Qin Mubai, a layman, has met Master Qingshan."
"Donor, excuse me." At this time, Qing Shancai opened his eyes again, looked Qin Mubai up and down with soft eyes, nodded slightly, and smiled meaningfully, "Poor nun, I haven't seen someone like the donor in many years. Such a heroic and spiritual person.”
"Master, you are so complimentary. Qin knows nothing about Buddhism. Please forgive me if there is anything rude that disturbs the purity of this place." Qin Mubai said.
Qingshan slightly raised his head and looked at Qin Mubai, nodded and smiled and said: "Those who have no mind and no dwelling are all subject to the laws of the world. If there is a Buddha in the heart, then the Buddha is everywhere, so why bother to stick to the classics and Zen temples? Donor Qin, Your spiritual energy is at its beginning, and you have a great connection with the Buddha.”
"Ah, no?" Princess Gao Yang was confused, but was frightened by the second half of Qing Shan's sentence, and said in a panic, "Mu Bai, you don't want to become a monk, right?"
"Silly boy, don't talk nonsense!" Concubine Yin De laughed, "Master Qingshan just praised Mu Bai's qualifications."
"Oh, that's pretty much it... Hehe!" Princess Gao Yang smiled reassuringly.
Qin Mubai smiled and shook his head, really speechless for Princess Gaoyang. However, although he has never had much interest in Buddhism and Taoism, there is always a sense of awe deep in his heart. In any case, this is also the wisdom accumulated by countless people for thousands of years. Regardless of its brilliance and practicality, at least it is also the accumulation of knowledge and history of human wisdom, and it always has its subtleties and uniqueness.
"Donor, sit down for a moment while the poor nun goes to arrange the vegetarian meal." After saying that, Qingshan stood up, sang the Buddha's promise and left first. After a while, two other old nuns came in, offered tea, and then left silently.
Qin Mubai sat down quietly on either side of the couch without saying much. Concubine Yin De sat next to Princess Gaoyang. Princess Gaoyang still nestled in her mother's arms and rested on her thigh as naughtily as she did when she was a child, chatting coquettishly and softly.
The Zen room is very quiet, and the entire Xuanwu Hall is also very quiet. It is indeed a good place to retreat from the world and cultivate your mind and nature.
It seems that Concubine Yin De has already integrated with this environment. The simplicity, serenity and composure she has cultivated over the past twenty years make her as calm as a lotus, and she is in perfect harmony with the surrounding atmosphere, as if she were born from nature.
From the moment she entered the room, Concubine Yin De had never looked directly at Qin Mubai. But Qin Mubai clearly felt that her attention was always directed towards him inadvertently, and a ray of light fell on him from the corner of her eyes.
"Under her pure and elegant appearance, is her heart really as calm as water?"
Soon, Su Zhai came to fetch it. In the food culture of the Tang Dynasty, meat and fish were the mainstream, and all the famous dishes were meat or fried. Therefore, although the current food culture is dazzling and colorful, it is actually not very healthy. I am afraid that this is also an important reason or manifestation of the fact that people in the Tang Dynasty regard fatness as beauty.
Occasionally eating a vegetarian meal to clear the stomach feels pretty good. Moreover, the vegetarian dishes in places like Gokoku Tennoji Temple are obviously not as simple as boiling vegetables and radish, but are made very delicately and elegantly, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as full of color, fragrance and flavor.
Qin Mubai had a full meal. After a meal, take a sip of tea, and the lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth will be very comfortable.
It's too early to finish eating. Now that we have come to a Buddhist temple, why not be a good man and a woman of faith? Qin Mubai immediately donated some sesame oil. Qingshan did not refuse, and collected these brass common objects without a trace of fireworks. She said: "There is no shortage of sesame oil in Buddhist temples. But Buddhism never refuses to accept the gift of faith, so the poor nun accepted the sesame oil money, which can be regarded as the kindness of donor Qin."
Princess Gaoyang said with a smile: "Master Qingshan, can you never finish telling my mother about the Buddha's visit and scriptures every day? Why don't you tell us about it today? I want to know if it's fun! "
"Linger, please don't make trouble unreasonably!" Concubine Yinde scolded, "Master Qingshan has profound Buddhist teachings, and he is not just telling stories for fun."
Qingshan smiled nonchalantly and said, "Since Her Royal Highness is interested, it would be okay for the nun to tell the princess a story."
"Hehe, okay!" Princess Gaoyang nodded excitedly, "Did you hear that, mother? Buddhists also tell stories, so what's the point!"
Qin Mubai took a sip of tea and said nothing. He always felt that the unassuming old nun in his sixties before him had a pair of eyes that could see into people's hearts. What would be the story in her mouth
Qin Mubai was looking forward to it.
Qingshan's eyes swept over the three people in the hall naturally and softly, and he spoke leisurely -
"Once upon a time, there was a scholar. He and the woman he loved deeply were in love, and they agreed on a wedding date and they became husband and wife. But on that day, his wife married someone else. The scholar was so sad that he couldn't afford to be ill ever since."
"Wow!" Princess Gaoyang exclaimed, "That woman is too much! - Master Qingshan, how can you tell such a story! Don't you know that Mu Bai and I are... about to get married?"
"The poor nun knows. Your Highness, Princess, please be patient." Qingshan smiled calmly and continued, "The scholar's family was very anxious after asking famous doctors but could not cure the scholar's disease. One day, a monk passed by his house. He volunteered to treat the scholar. He did not give any injections, but just showed the scholar a mirror. "
"It was a three-life mirror that could see a person's past and present lives. An image appeared in the mirror, and a beach appeared, with a female body covered in flesh lying on the beach. At this time, a person passed by, took a look, and shook his head. He shook his head and left. Soon another man came, took off his clothes and covered the woman. Finally, a man came, dug a hole and buried the woman's body. "
"The scholar was very confused. Then a scene like this appeared in the mirror. During the night of flowers and candles in the woman's bridal chamber, her husband lifted his hijab..."
Having said this, Qingshan paused. Seeing that, Princess Gao Yang and Concubine Yin De looked at him in confusion. Qin Mubai took a cup of tea and drank it thoughtfully.
"Donor Qin, what did you think of?" Qingshan asked.
Qin Mubai clasped his hands together and said with a smile: "The disciple is thinking that the female body and the woman are the same person in the past life; the scholar is probably the person who covered the female body with clothes in the previous life; and the woman's husband is the general. The good Samaritan who dug the hole and buried it.”
"Ah..." Concubine Yin De and Princess Gao Yang exclaimed together.
Qingshan's eyes flashed with an imperceptible look of surprise and admiration, and he nodded with a smile, "Good fate, good fate... Good, good!"
"Master Qingshan... Then..." Princess Gaoyang hesitated and said, "Then Mu Bai, could he be the one who buried me in the previous life?"
"It's impossible to know, it's impossible to say." Qingshan closed his eyes and smiled, and said leisurely, "Who can tell clearly about the origin and destruction of the past and present life, and how to understand the Tao? If you know the day, you will know the night, and if you know the beginning, you will know the end, as if If you don’t understand the past life, you will know where you will live in the future. Why should Your Majesty the Princess be obsessed with the past life?”
"I don't understand..." Princess Gao Yang shook her head in confusion.
Qingshan nodded with a smile: "Then please, Your Highness, please listen to another story!"
"good!"
"Once upon a time, there was a temple with great incense, which has been passed down for thousands of years. There was a spider under the eaves in front of the temple. Because of thousands of years of listening to sutras and fumigating Brahma, it became spiritual and enlightened. One day, the Buddha came to this temple and asked about this spider. Spider 'What is the most precious thing in the world'?"
At this point, Qingshan stopped again and asked with a smile: "You three might as well answer this question. Concubine De, please go first!"
Concubine Yin De put her hands together and bowed, bit her lips, frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "Sincerely respond to things without making any distinction. The most precious things in the world are those that cannot be obtained or have been lost."
Qingshan nodded and smiled: "Where is Her Royal Highness the Princess?"
Princess Gaoyang said without hesitation: "Emotions! The most noble thing in the world is emotion - family affection, love, friendship!"
Qingshan still nodded and smiled, and asked Qin Mubai, "Where is Donor Qin?"
Qin Mubai put down the tea cup, clasped his hands together, and said with a smile: "This moment, including every moment in life, is the most precious."
Qingshan raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but pause for a moment while twisting the beads in his hand.
"Master, which one of us has the right answer?" Princess Gao Yang asked.
Qingshan smiled and did not answer, but said: "After listening to this story, you will know - after Buddha asked the spider, the spider's answer was 'What is not available and what has been lost is the most precious.' "
"Ah? The same answer as my mother?!" Princess Gao Yang exclaimed in shock.
Concubine Yin De was also stunned for a moment and looked at Qing Shan in shock.
"Don't be anxious." Qingshan just smiled and continued, "Buddha got the answer from the spider and left without saying a word. Another thousand years later, Buddha came to this temple again and still saw the spider. After a thousand years of practice, the spider's Buddha nature and understanding have greatly increased. The Buddha asked it the same question again, and the spider also answered that the most precious things in the world are those that cannot be obtained and have been lost. The Buddha still did not say much. He nodded and smiled."
The three of them held their breath and listened quietly to Qingshan telling this ancient story.
Qingshan twisted the beads in his hands, closed his eyes and pondered, and said leisurely: "Another thousand years later, suddenly one day, a gust of wind blew down a dewdrop, which happened to fall on the spider. The spider suddenly felt very comfortable and happy. It It felt that this was the happiest day in its three thousand years. But the wind did not stop, and the dewdrop was quickly blown away. The spider was very disappointed and sad. At this time, the Buddha appeared and asked it the same question. With dewdrops, he said sadly, the most precious things in the world are those that cannot be obtained and have been lost.”
"The Lord Buddha smiled and said to it, since you are so persistent, I will let you go to the human world and arrange a marriage for you. So, the spider was reincarnated into the human world and became a daughter of a famous family. She was beautiful, She was generous, had a good reputation, and was favored by many people who came to ask for her hand in marriage. However, she always insisted on not marrying, waiting for a marriage arranged by the Buddha. Finally one day, she met a man named Gan Lu. He was the number one scholar in the new science, and he was very talented and elegant. She knew at a glance that this was her fate, because she recognized that the number one scholar, 'Ganlu', was the one she met on the spider web a few years ago. Luzhu. So she found Gan Lu and expressed her feelings to him. However, Gan Lu was confused and thought she was ridiculous, so he refused her favor. A few days later, the palace ordered Gan Lu to marry a princess. She was betrothed to another prince whom she did not know. When Spider heard the news, she was shocked. She could not figure out why the Buddha had teased and abused her in this way. So, she refused to eat or drink, and the prince wanted to die. After hearing the news, he rushed to see her. Seeing her dying, the prince was so sad that he fell in love with her at first sight, so he went to ask his father for a marriage. If Zhuer couldn't live, he had no desire to live anymore! Draw your sword and kill yourself..."
"Wow..." Princess Gao Yang sighed softly, "This prince is so infatuated! But Spider only has Gan Lu in his heart. If it were me, I would be really embarrassed!"
Qingshan smiled slightly and said: "Just when the prince was about to draw his sword and kill himself, Buddha appeared. Spider immediately asked Buddha, why did he treat her like this? Buddha smiled and replied, Spider, nectar is brought by the wind, and it is also carried by the wind. Go, he only belongs to the wind. The princess who is married to the champion Ganlu is just a passerby in your life, but it does not belong to you after all. Back then, I was a piece of grass under the cobwebs of the Buddhist temple. He had looked up to you and admired you for three thousand years, but you had never looked down at him. "
"After the Buddha finished speaking, Spider and the Prince both thought of the past three thousand years. Buddha asked again, Spider, let me ask you again, what is the most precious thing in the world? Spider was so moved that she cried. She hugged the Prince and said, "In the world The most precious thing is not what you can’t get or have lost, but the happiness you can grasp now!”
Qing Shan’s story is over. The room was quiet.
Princess Gaoyang's eyes were red, but she did not cry or shed tears. She just held her mother's hand tightly and bit her lip.
Qin Mubai frowned slightly as he held the cup of tea, looking at the tiny traces of tea dust floating on the surface of the tea, thinking in his heart: Although Buddhism and Taoism are somewhat illusory, there are also many wise sayings. This story is wonderful. Indeed, the most cherished thing in the world is everything we have around us. You don’t feel it when you have it, and you regret it after you lose it. This is probably a common problem among people...
At this time, Qin Mubai vaguely felt that a strange gaze fell on his face softly and unexpectedly. Without thinking about it, he almost instinctively raised his eyelids and looked to the opposite side, just in time to meet Concubine Yin De's eyes.
Their eyes met and separated quickly.
With a startled glance, Qin Mubai couldn't understand the meaning in her eyes for a moment.
"Three thousand years of admiration and admiration, but you have never looked down at him..."
…
"All three of them are destined to be Buddhas." Qingshan's voice broke the tranquility of the scene. He was still unhurried and said in a relaxed and leisurely manner, "Mother and daughter are of the same mind and are equally obsessed with love. The most precious thing in the world, It is indeed emotion. Humans are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless? Buddhas are also compassionate and compassionate towards all sentient beings. However, the most precious thing in the world, Your Majesty, is not something that cannot be obtained or has been lost, but that can be grasped now. Happiness. As Donor Qin said, this moment and every moment in life are beautiful and worth cherishing. "
"Thank you, Master."
The three people invariably put their hands together and bowed down.
Worship devoutly.
"Concubine De, I have one last story that I want to tell you specifically. But if Her Royal Highness the Princess and Donor Qin are interested, you may wish to listen." Qingshan said.
"Thank you, Master." The three of them bowed together again. Neither Qin Mubai nor Princess Gao Yang had any intention of leaving.
"Once upon a time, there was a peerless and charming woman. She was arrogant and high-spirited. She ignored all the suitors and was only pursuing her ideal husband. One day, she accidentally saw him in the vast sea of people. A man suddenly made her heart beat, and she decided that he was her destiny. However, the man disappeared in a flash, and she could no longer find him. So, she went to pray to the Buddha. Then the Buddha appeared and asked her, do you want to see that man again? The woman answered yes. The Buddha said, you have to practice for five hundred years and be exposed to the wind and the sun for five hundred years before you can see him again. Are you willing? The woman replied, "I do."
"So, the Buddha made her turn into a stone and lie in the barren mountains. She was exposed to the wind and sun for 499 years without seeing anyone. In the 500th year, several stonemasons came and laid them down. She dug stone strips from the mountain and used them to build the bridge. Finally, she waited until the man walked across the bridge, but the man didn't know that he turned into stone and left after a quick glance. He said, I would like to be exposed to the wind and the sun for another five hundred years, just to let me touch his skin. The Buddha agreed. The Buddha allowed her to transform into a tree and grow alone for five hundred years. It was a cold day, and the man came to the tree. He was sleepy and tired, so he lay down under the tree to rest for a while. The woman cried with joy and pulled the branches to form a shade for him. The man slept under the tree and woke up. , touched the tree trunk gratefully, and left. "
Princess Gaoyang's eyes were red and she sobbed softly: "That man is so heartless..."
Qingshan just smiled and continued: "The moment the man disappeared, the Buddha appeared. He asked the woman if you want to be husband and wife with him for the rest of your life, and then continue to practice. The woman smiled and shook her head in relief, she said Although I really want to, I don't have to. I am already satisfied that I love him, and I don't necessarily have to have him as his wife. Buddha nodded happily and said, he and his current wife, in order to be married for the rest of their lives, they both have to live with each other. After three thousand years of wind and sun.”
Princess Gao Yang burst into tears immediately, stood up and walked to Qin Mubai, knelt down and hugged him tightly: "Mubai, we have been practicing for three thousand years before we got together!"
"Amitabha... clearly has no life or death, and comes and goes without interruption. Right and wrong are not just like yesterday's dream, they must be accepted quickly and truthfully." Qingshan closed his eyes, clasped his hands with a smile, and chanted, "The real ending of this story Yes, the Buddha said, you have to endure five hundred years of wind and five hundred years of sun just to see him and touch him once. In fact, there is another person who has practiced hard just to see you and touch you and marry you for the rest of his life. Two thousand years. Now... he can probably suffer less for a thousand years."
Concubine Yin De's eyes were tightly closed and her lips were trembling slightly. She clasped her hands and bowed down before nodding: "Master, I understand my mistake. I know what to do..."
"Amitabha..." Qingshan took a long breath, nodded and smiled, "Where can I find mountains and rivers? Every word and silence is always left to me; it is hard to bear the blame for everything, and I can only know the warmth and coldness by myself. Madam De Fei, you There is no way to escape from the deep roots of the world, so why bother to force it? If you are happy and know your fate, you will have no joy or worry, and the wonderful nature is so clear that it is difficult to describe the happiness. I will give you the words I said to the donor Qin. If you have a Buddha in your heart, there will be no Buddha. It’s everywhere, so why stick to the classics and Zen temples? - Go ahead!”
Princess Gaoyang was surprised: "Master, where did you ask my mother to go?"
"Where do you come from? Where do you go?" Qingshan closed his eyes, smiled, and chanted, "Amitabha..."
Concubine Yin De kowtowed several times, stood up, looked at the towering Buddha image above her head with distant eyes, and said leisurely: "Gao Yang, accompany my mother to see you... the emperor!"
Qin Mubai drank the last sip of tea, put down the teacup, and stood up.
Now, he could only see the back of Concubine Yin De, but it seemed as if he saw a sigh that traveled through thousands of years... She would eventually go back to protect the girl who had looked up to her for three thousand years and had to practice hard for two years in order to be a husband and wife for a lifetime. The man who has been around for thousands of years but cannot be found... As for me, I may have put a piece of clothing on her body in my previous life, and transformed into Lu Lu and walked around her. Destined to be just a passerby in her life.
Passer-by…